Rotary internal-combustion engine



C. H. KAIN ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE April 5, 1957. 1,623,875

Filed March 25, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 amoemlfo'o A ril 5.1927. ,623,815

C. H. KAIN ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed MflIQh 23, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g aw 3 ml /f/iw Patented Apr. 5, 1927.

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ROTARY INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGiNE.

Application filed March 23,1925; Serial No. 17,730:

This invention relates to rotary internal combustion engines and proposes the corn,

struction of a prime mover embodying. the inventive principle covered in my pending application No. 723,807, which was exemplitied by the provision of a' rotor carrying a plunger or piston, or a plurality of the same, adapted to reciprocate in a cylinder or cylind'ers in a path tangentialto a circle concentric with the axis of rotation of the rotor, the movements of said plungers or pistons being governed by a control ring or equivalent member, formed with a. guiding curvature of such shape as to cause the pistons or plungers, in all positions'ot'the rotor, to react substantially normally ao'ainst said ring, avoiding negative tangential components which in the aggregate would detract from the force of the power stroke, whereby the, maximum mechanical advantageis secured throughout the entire working stroke of the plun'gers' or pistons. 7

One of the objects 0]": the present inven tion is the application of this principle to a prime mover operable by fluid, expansion, and particularly, as the title otthe invention indicates, to a' motor of the internal combustion type. Y

Another object of the invention is the provision of a novel valve mechanism for controlling the admission and exhaust ports, and so constructed that the cycle of the en'- gine may be changed from a four to a two stroke cycle by the omission of but a single part. c

A further, object of the-invention is the provision of novel. means by which the construction is simplified and the operation of the printeniover improved in a manner which will appear as the description; of the illustrative embodiment of the invention develops.

In the drawings Figure l is a diagrammatic showing representing a cross section through an internal' combustion engine constructed accorch ing to the principles of, the present i'nvene tion in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation. I

F'gure 2 is a section taken along the line of Figure 1. I v 4 I Figure 3 is plan view of the valve cutot'f plate taken at the line 33 in Figure 2.

Figure, 4: is a plan view showing the coacting ,t'ace cf the entrance block taken along the line H of Figure 21 p, Referring now in detail to the several ngures,- a support ng block 1' carry ng, in the present instance a single cylinder 2, is

securedto the shaft 3 in any suitable mannor, as for instance means of the key 5' and set screw 6, v The parts just mentioned constitutethe rotor of the engine which is operated by the re-action of the preset 5 of the exploded charge within the cylinder against the head of the piston 7. The shaft 3 is carried by suitable bearings 8 and 9, located on opposite sides of the rotor in a stationary frame it), said frame, in the presas illustrative embodimentof the inventionconstituting an enclosure or casing for; the several parts. The movement oifth-e piston is governed by an eccentriccontrol ring 11 securedinaliy suitable manner to one side of thefranie 10, an eccentric strap lQ passmg around control ringland being connected by the arm 13 to the skirt of the piston. I The connection is effected by ins of a pin- 14 tired to the piston skirt u rich passes through aslot 15 entending longitu 8 dinallyi of the cylinder and enteringa sleeve formed at the end, of the arm 13. It" will be observed from Figure 1 that the slot preferably doe's not extend above the lower piston when the piston is at the outermost limit of its stroke;

Followingthe principle of the invention covered inmy pending application li ereinbetore referred to, the axis of the cylindep 2Qlies tangential-to a circle concentric with the axis or rotation of the rotor. This secures the nraximum mechanical advai e throughout the entire workingstrolie o the piston: and in favorable contrast with the sta ionary type of reciprocating engine in wl W1 maximum mechanical advantage is approached oiilyat one point, about midway of the ran e of piston travel".

It is obvious in the present struct ral arrangement that the ,pres'sure w thin the cylinder react-s against the p ton and through it against, the eccentric, ring, and that it the piston is so connected tothe" eccentric ring that the line of pressure acting through the piston is practically radial 0' 1.05

the eccentric ring in all positions of the piston, he entire pressure of the piston not my; 'a' Inst the walls of the cylinder bore will be exerted perpendicularly at the outer end ofth'e radius of the circle to which the' axis off the cylinder. is tangential, thus g'iv-f ing maximum e tliciency, in the mechanical transmission of power, the radius of said circle being regarded as the crank arm of the power shaft. But if the line of pres .sure acting through the piston is not substantially radial to the eccentric ring the force of the expansion within said cylinder will be resolved into components one of which is tangential to the eccentric ring and therefore wast-ed, in so far as useful transmission of energy is concerned, and the other of which is expended in rotating the rotor. Tt thus becomes a material and important part of the invention to have the eccentric ring of such sha 3e and size that the piston will be substantially radial to it in all positions, particularly on the working stroke of the piston.

A formula was stated in said application which it does not seem necessary to repeat '1 the present instance, from which it was deduced that the theoretical shape of the eccentric ring designed to maintain this radial relation of the line of pressure through the piston for all positions of the rotor is a double spiral having the form of a heartshaped curve and which is indicated at 18 in Figure 1. ll curve of this shape is purely theoretical, however, and mechanical difficulties will be encountered in attempting to operate the piston on a control spiral of this shape. Therefore, for practical purposes the eccentric control ring 11 has been made to conform to that circle which coin cides most nearly with the double spiral 18. This circle is indicated at 19 in Figure 1. It will be noted that the control circle of the eccentric ring 11 coincides very closely with the ideal spiral except at points marked a and Z) in Figure 1. These may be termed neutral arcs as the piston is either at the upper or lower end of its stroke when the pin 14- is in these phases of the control circle, the movement of said piston being then negligible in its effect upon the rotor. By the adoption of this circle as a control, practically the same angularity of the cylinder relative to this circle is maintained as in the case of the double spiral. The control circle can be so located with reference to the operated shaft that the sum of the components of the cylinder pressure acting to rotate the rotor will equal a possible 100%.

A face plate 20 is fixed to, or preferably formed integral with the supporting block 1 and cylinder 2, said face plate being provided with two slotted ports 21 and 22 on arcs concentric with the power shaft 3. These ports open through the wall of the combustion chamber of the cylinder, as shown in Figure 1 and, serve as inlet and exhaust ports for the cylinder. The outer side of the face plate is carefully machined and forms an abutment for frictional con tact with a cut-off plate 25. Said cut-off plate is rotatable co-axially of the power shaft and is provided with arcuate ports 26 and 27 positioned so as to register with the ports 21 and 22 when the cut-off plate is arranged in operative relation with respect to the face plate.

Novel means are provided for causing the rotation of the cut-off plate at half the speed of the rotor, the same consisting of means such as the bevel pinion 28 mounted upon a stub shaft 29 carried in a bearing 30 suitably formed in a peripheral portion of the cut-off plate. A stationary internal ring gear 31, which is suitably fixed to the frame 10 meshes with the bevel pinion 28 as does also a similar, but rotatably mounted ring gear 32. which is fixed to the rotor and engages the bevel pinion at points diametrically opposite to the ring gear 31. The frame 10 is formed with an inwardly projecting entrance block 33 the inner face of which is machined and makes frictional contact with the cut-off plate 25. Said entrance bloek is provided with inlet and exhaust channels and 35, respectively, which are circular at their outer ends where they threadedly engage the intake and exhaust pipes 36 and 37, said channels being expanded into arcuate ports 38 and 39 in the face of the entrance block, as shown in Figure l. Said ports 38 and 39 register periodically with the ports 26 and 27 of the cut-off plate 25.

Means are provided for adjusting the clearance between the face plate 20, cut-off plate 25 and cooperating face of the entrance block 33, consisting preferably of a collar 40 fixed to or formed integrally with the power shaft 3, said collar being enclosed within a gland formed by the bushings l1 and 42. The bushing l1 screws into the frame 10 and may be screwed in or out for inwardly or outwardly moving the collar 40 and with it the power shaft 8. Set screws 43 and 44-, or other equivalent means are provided for securing the adjusting gland in any position of adjustn'ient.

It will be noted from the plan view of the cut-off plate shown in Figure 3 that the ports 26 and 27 extend through arcs of substantially 90. The differential movement between the face plate and cut-off plate is sufficient to cause the inlet and exhaust ports 21 and 22 to remain in registry with the respective inlet and exhaust ports 38 and 39 throughout substantially 180 of rotation of the rotor, thus admitting combustible mixture to the cylinder throughout substan tially the entire intake stroke and exhausting it during substantially the entire exhaust stroke. It is clear that, by making the ports 26 and 27 of different length, the duration of opening of the intake and exhaustports may be altered to suit varying conditions. A valve constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, and con iii) sisting of the face plate 20, cut-off plate 25 and entrance block 33, ported as described, operates the engine upon a four stroke cycle.

the power shaft valve-ward a distance sufficientto compensate for the 01111533101101: the

cut-off plate.

Due .to the fact that the ,departure of the line of movementof the piston from its radial relation with respect to the control circle is greatest on the exhaust and compression strokes, it is of distinchadvantageto have the piston returned it() its instroke position by means auxiliary to the control ring. For this purpose I have provided the spiral spring which bears at one end against the inner'face of the piston and at its other against a suitable anchorage at the outer end of the cylinder. By this means the negative component set up by the obtuse angle between the line of movement of the piston and the tangent at the point where said line of movement intersects the control circle is eliminated. lVhile the spring 45 is shown as being housed within the piston skirt it may occupy any suitable position. One of the advantages of this spring arrangement lies in the fact that the power consumption used in compressing and exhausting is transferred to the power stroke, lending a better balance to the power shaft.

The cylinder 2 may be cooled in any suitable manner and I have here shown it with a ribbed external surface which may be airwateror oil-cooled as may be preferred. In the present instance I have shown an oil cooled engine, the cylinder being bathed by oil within the chamber 46 of the frame 10, said oil being picked up by the pump 47 and carried to peripheral cooling combs 18 in which the oil is exposed in films to an extensive cooling surface and from which it is returned to the chamber 46.

ignition may be effected in any suitable manner, and by way of illustration I have shown spark plug 49 having a high tension lead 50 running through an axial bore in the power shaft and being connected to an insulated conductive annulus 51 carried by the power shaft and making frictional contact with a slip ring 52. A conductor 53 leads from the slip ring to a suitable distributor head or timing mechanism, not shown.

The description herein of a one cylinder engine does not preclude the application of the same principle to multiplerylinder engines. By placing even numbers of cylinders in pairs, exact unifonm ignition can be obtained.

, While I have above described ,what I have .believed ,to be a simple and practical type of internal combustion engine, .it is to be understood that numerous alterations or changes in the details of,construction may be resorted to without foregoing the protection aifordedby the claims; and it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined to an internal combustion motor but is adapted tonse in steam engines, nieter ng devices, pumps, ,etc.

Having described my invention what I clai1n;as,-new and-desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. 1n an internal combustion ,engine a shaft, a rotating cylinder carried by said shaft having the longitudinal axis thereof arranged :tangentialito ,a circle concentric with the axis of rotatien of-saidishaft, arelatively ,fixed eccentrically mounted guide ring, a piston Within said cylinder re-acting against said guide ring in lines of force which are substantially radial to said guide ring throughout the working stroke of said piston, and means independent of said guide ring for returning said piston to its innermost position on the inward strokes of said piston.

2.1m an internal combustion engine a shaft, a rotating cylinder carried by said shaft having the longitudinal axis thereof arranged tangential to a circle concentric with the axis of rotation of said shaft, a relatively fixed eccentrically mounted guide ring, a piston within said cvlinder re-acting against said guide ring in lines of force which aresubstantially radial to said guide ring throughout the working stroke of said piston, and a spring independent of said guide ring for returning said piston to its innermost position on the inward strokes of said piston. i

3. In an internal combustion engine, a rotating cylinder, a relatively fixed member, po ted valve elements carried by said cylinder and member having spaced faces lying in parallel planes, the ports of one element opening into the combustion chamber of the cylinder and the ports of the other element communicating with a source of fuel supply and with atmosphere, a cut-oif plate arranged between said spaced faces and in contact therewith, said cut-off plate being provided with ports adapted to register with the ports in the other valve elements, ring gears carried by said cylinder and member, concentric with the axis of rotation of said cylinder, and a pinion carried by said out- 01f plate meshing with said ring gears for operating said cut-off plate at half the speed of the rotating cylinder.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a rotating cylinder, a relatively fixed member,

ported Valve elements carried by said cylinder and member having spaced faces lying in parallel planes, the ports of one element opening into the combustion chamber of the cylinder and the ports of the other element communicating with a source of fuel supply and with atmosphere, a cut-off plate arranged between said spaced faces and in contact therewith, said cut-off plate being provided with ports adapted to register with the ports in the other valve elements, the ports in one of said elements being of such length as to maintain communication with the inlet and exhaust ports for substantially 180 at the speed ratio of said element, ring gears carried by said cylinder and member, concentric with the axis of rotation of said cylinder, and a pinion carried by said out off plate meshing with said ring gears for operating said cut-off plate at half the speed of the rotating cylinder.

5. In an internal con'ibustion engine, a

rotating cylinder and a frame, a shaft supporting said cylinder and carried by said frame, ported valve elements carried respectively by said cylinder and frame having spaced faces lying in parallel planes, the ports of one element opening into the co1nbustion chamber of the cylinder and the ports of the other element communicating with a source of fuel supply and with atmosphere, a cut-off plate arranged between said spaced faces and in contact therewith, said cut-oft plate being provided with ports adapted to register with ports in the other valve elements, gearing for operating said cut-off plate at half the speed of the rotat ing cylinder, and means for moving said shaft in an endwise direction for adjusting the clearance between said cut-01f plate and other Valve elements. 7

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

CLIFFORD HASTY KAIN. 

